We celebrated Mia’s thirteenth birthday, and Wren and I both sobbed like babies over our favorite teenager. Jackson turned twenty-nine while I was away, and it took everything in me not to call him and see how he was doing.
Before I left to go back to Michigan, Mia let me pick her up in a hug, even though she was more than half my size now. Wren wrapped her arms around both of us, squeezing me so tight it felt like all three of our hearts were beating as one. It felt like everyone else in theairport drop-off lane disappeared—like everything in the world vanished except for the three of us.
“We love you so much,” Wren said as she pressed a kiss to my hair.
I held on to them both a little longer, then I pressed a kiss to Mia’s head before setting her back down.
“I love you guys,” I said, taking them in with watery eyes.
“We’ll see you soon, Addie,” Mia said with a toothy smile.
She handed me her new Build-A-Bear. “I want you to keep it.”
I grabbed the bear from her, holding it against my chest as I gave Mia a smile through my tears. I ran my fingers through her curly hair one last time before turning around and walking through the airport’s automatic doors.
Chapter 38
BEFORE
February, Seven Years Ago
It had been almost three years since I got in my car and didn’t stop until I hit the Atlantic Ocean. Three years since I left Tostela without looking back.
I woke up reminiscing on that first week I spent here in Wilmington; sleeping in my car every night, and going to different coffee shops and restaurants every day to fill out job applications. I never filled out the address portion—I didn’t have one back then. I almost gave up and drove back up to Michigan after so many rejections.
I had bought myself a new phone the day I got here. My very first iPhone—a huge upgrade from the prepaid phone the Delvecchios bought me that first Christmas I spent with them. It had been an entire week without them, and I wondered what they were doing right that second.
I was eating a chocolate croissant in a cafe, contemplating my entire existence now that the Delvecchios weren’t a part of it, when the little girl at the table next to me giggled.
I looked over at her and found those big blue eyes staring at me, examining the chocolate I had managed to smear everywhere. I stuck my tongue out at her before grabbing a napkin and cleaning myself up. She covered her mouth with her hand and laughed beneath it. Her mom looked up from her laptop to smile at me.
I made eye contact with the little girl again, and this time she waved.
We played this game back and forth; I’d pretend I was invested in my phone, she’d stare at me, I’d look up like I was surprised to see her, then I’d wave.
When she and her mom got up to leave, the little girl waddled right over to my table.
“You come play with me?” Her little voice was even cuter than the freckles splayed across her cheeks. She couldn’t have been older than two.
“Mia . . .” the mom said with a laugh as she grabbed her daughter’s hand before turning to me. “She really wants to be your friend, apparently.”
I smiled back at the mom before turning to Mia. “I could really use a friend right now, too.”
The mom looked me up and down, and I self consciously fixed my hair. I’d only given it a half-assed wash in a library bathroom that morning. I probably looked strung-out and greasy.
“I’m a teacher, and I’m about to go back to work for the first time since Mia was born. My husband and I are looking for a nanny. Would you be interested? Do you have a résumé?”
I couldn’t stand up fast enough to introduce myself.
“I’m Addison. Yes, I definitely have a résumé. Um, I can go to the library really quickly and print it for you.”
I, in fact, didnothave a résumé. Delvecchios’ Restaurant was the only job I had ever had—was that enough experience to be a nanny?
“No need, I’ll give you my email and you can send it over. I’m Wren Wilson by the way.” She shook my hand, and I grimaced when I realized how sweaty mine was.
“Okay, great, I’ll get that over to you shortly,” I said a bit too eagerly.
Mia and Wren said their goodbyes to me, and I ran straight to the library to write up a résumé.
